#scorpion battle anthem

[shinagawa-division]

Scorpion Battle Anthem (The Crossroads Diss)

Featuring Akari "Cinder" Himura of @katsushika-division

Bring The Beat!

[Scorpion Den:]

(1, 2, 3)

[Sumire:]

If it’s war you want then it’s war you’re gonna get

[Scorpion Den:]

(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

[Sumire:]

We’re gonna drag you down to hell

[Scorpion Den:]

(1, 2, 3)

[Sumire:]

Run back to your Father, it’ll be your last farewell

You’ve made a terrible mistake

[Scorpion Den:]

Scorpion Den is gonna make you break!

[Sumire:]

Now what’s this that I see?

It’s dumb bitch Juu stepping up to me

Some people just don’t know when to quit

Oh well, it’ll be fun seeing you submit

[Yosuke:]

Chimaki, I’ve seen bacteria more scary than you

You’re nothing compared to what I’ve been through

Just another tiny drop of water in a sea of fools

Why don’t you go fuck yourself with your own tools

[Miyabi:]

Poor little kitty, Kahori’s grasping at straws

Let me show you what I can do with my own claws

Don’t make me laugh, this bitch thinks she’s a cat!

How pathetic, you’re really nothing more than a rat

[Akari:]

Ha! Well ain’t this fucking amusing?!

God’s little mistakes are definitely losing

Manobu will be nothing but ash when I’m though

And don’t think I’ll forget your little brother too

[Zoya:]

You already lost ever since this battle began

And yeah, I’m talking to you, old man

Ippei’s gone thinking that he’s a god

But he’s only a false prophet wearing a facade

[Janine:]

Tora, let me tell you something about love

Since it’s obvious you have a severe lack thereof

Your “love” lied to you, left you to misguide

It long since died

[Trickster:]

Watch who you’re talkin' to

Pint-size little shit!

Think you can stop me?

You're still suckin’ on your brother’s tit!

[Sumire:]

You heard it here first

Be prepared to face our worst

The Crossroads will be condemned

And no God will save them

[Scorpion Den:]

24/7!

Crossroads, mess with us and you’re going to fucking lose!

24/7!

You’re nothing but toys to break and amuse!

[Sumire:]

The will of God?

[Scorpion Den:]

Pitiful! Pitiful!

[Sumire:]

Can’t beat our squad

[Scorpion Den:]

This fight is in our odds!

You can try to beat us down

But our rebellion will always be around!

24/7!

We’re the Scorpions, our sting is deadly and we’re quick to strike!

24/7!

We’ll stick your Father’s head on a fucking pike!

[Sumire:]

We’re way past the point of a warning

The Church’s gonna be in some serious mourning

[Scorpion Den:]

Damn right!

We say ‘screw your rules!’

You can’t beat us

You’re just a dumb pack of mules!

(1, 2, 3)

[Sumire:]

If it’s war you want then it’s war you’re gonna get

[Scorpion Den:]

(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

[Sumire:]

We’re gonna drag you down to hell

[Scorpion Den:]

(1, 2, 3)

[Sumire:]

Run back to your Father, it’ll be your last farewell

You’ve made a terrible mistake

[Scorpion Den:]

Scorpion Den is gonna make you break!

[Sumire:]

It's sad, Juu, watching your attempts at "revenge"

At this rate, your parents will never be avenged

How sweet it was, listening to their screams and cries

And I'll make sure you'll meet the same demise

[Yosuke:]

"Dr. Saw" is just a cheap knock off

Call yourself a real doctor? I can only scoff

You're nothing more than a freak with a blood fetish

And I'll be glad to make your life more hellish

[Miyabi:]

Like an insignificant ant I can crush under my heel

Why don't you be a good kitten, Nyan, and kneel

I'll give you a real reason to go mental

Bad girls get punished and I won't be gentle

[Akari:]

Did you come up with that with your pea size brain?

Shut the fuck up, "Am", and stay in your lane

“Die!"

Ain't no comparison, we all know it's true

That I got way more bigger balls than you

[Zoya:]

Hey "Scientist", don't you feel even a little bad?

A man your age living in a delusion is just sad

You preach on and on about reaching divinity

But I bet 20 bucks that you haven't lost your virginity

[Janine:]

Cassiopeia has the gall to talk about beauty

But all she does is come across as snooty

All she thinks is about her Father in her head

I wonder, does she spread her legs for him in bed?

[Trickster:]

Hey! Hey! It's the wannabe thug!

Can't take "I" seriously with his ugly mug

I'll feed him and his brother to the hounds

I wonder how "Kita Stew" will sound?

[Sumire:]

We'll show you how true pain feels

Maybe then you'll find out God isn't real

The Crossroads, listen to me loud and clear

Scorpion Den are the only demons you should fear

[Scorpion Den:]

24/7!

Crossroads, mess with us and you’re going to fucking lose!

24/7!

You’re nothing but toys to break and amuse!

[Sumire:]

The will of God?

[Scorpion Den:]

Pitiful! Pitiful!

[Sumire:]

Can’t beat our squad

[Scorpion Den:]

This fight is in our odds!

You can try to beat us down

But our rebellion will always be around!

24/7!

We’re the Scorpions, our sting is deadly and we’re quick to strike!

24/7!

We’ll stick your Father’s head on a fucking pike!

[Sumire:]

We’re way past the point of a warning

The Church’s gonna be in some serious mourning

[Scorpion Den:]

Damn right!

We say ‘screw your rules!’

You can’t beat us

You’re just a dumb pack of mules!

(1, 2, 3)

[Sumire:]

If it’s war you want then it’s war you’re gonna get

[Scorpion Den:]

(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

[Sumire:]

We’re gonna drag you down to hell

[Scorpion Den:]

(1, 2, 3)

[Sumire:]

Run back to your Father, it’ll be your last farewell

You’ve made a terrible mistake

[Scorpion Den:]

Scorpion Den is gonna make you break!

🖕

[socaprince]

SOCA THERAPY - JULY 7, 2024

Soca Therapy Playlist Sunday July 7th 2024 Making You Wine From 6-9pm on Flow 98.7fm Toronto

Dutty Dancing (Dr. Jay Plate) - Hypa 4000 Ting Go Nice Again (TW Edit) - Wetty Beatz Crocodile - Problem Child Jab Story - Slatta Hurricane - Red Scorpion Hurricane - Skinny Fabulous x Lyrikal Tornado (Riddim Master Road Intro) - Ricardo Drue Chopping The Line - Jab King I Am Grenadian (Clean) - Muddy x Squeeze Head x Brain Not From Here - Lavaman x Travis World Addicted - Jab King x Travis World Hotspot - Lyrikal x Travis World The Feeling - Runi J x Travis World Jab Man - Slatta x Travis World Explore (Radio) - V'ghn x Travis World Jab Jab Festival - Pumpa x Travis World Stagga Dance - Lil Natty & Thunda x Muddy Energy Killers - Kerwin DuBois Smooth Ride - Farmer Nappy Best Ride - Coopa Dan x Dj Spider When Last (BD Certified Anthem Edit) - GBM Nutron x Jus Jay Junction - Coutain x Tano Tack Back - Kes x Tano A Little Jam - Problem Child Cyah Hear Yuh - Patrice Roberts Cyah Hear Yuh (Dr. Jay Plate) - Patrice Roberts BYE x2 - Saddis x Jus Jay Bare Good Vibes - Shal Marshall Happy Place - Lyrikal Happy Song - College Boy Jesse Birthday Bashment Freestyle - Lil Rick Ba Ba Ben (Wine & Bend Pt 2) - DJ Cheem Gimme Ah Bligh - Iwer George Water - Iwer George In The Water - Suhrawh x Chow Minister All Posse - Roses Crew feat. Fireman Hooper

TOP 7 COUNTDOWN - Powered By The Soca Source Top Songs in SVG on Apple Music

7. Start - Dat-C DQ x Skinny Fabulous 6. Slip In - Geo 5. Like Never Before - Problem Child 4. Next # In Line - Added Rankin 3. Blessed - Kennie Montana 2. BOTS (Battle Of The Sexes) - Problem Child 1. Carnival Jumbie - Problem Child

Starta Pack - Tionne Hernandez Pampalam - Faith Callender Safe Space - Rae x Fryktion Anxiety - Patrice Roberts Best Self - Nailah Blackman x Lyrikal Shake The Place - Machel Montano x Destra Heaven - Nadia Batson x Kees My Land - Kes The Band x Nadia Batson In the Meantime - Alison Hinds Mash It Up - Burning Flames feat. Onika Bostic Expose (Precision Road Mix) - El-A-Kru feat. Tizzy DJ Needle - Horizon feat Candy Hoyte Jammers - TC De River - Blue Ventures feat Sanell Dempster Let IT Rain (Riddim Master Edit) - Empress x Soca Villain x Psycho Pulourie Doubles - Rikki Jai Disk La Reye - Ban Biyo Zouk La Se Sel Medikaman - Kassav Sexy Chocolate Girls (Remix) - Farm P x Kerwin Du Bois

PAN MOMENTS DNA - BP Renegades

TANTY TUNES Calypso Music - Charlie's Roots feat. David Rudder

Soul Of Calypso - Machel Montano Bruk Time - Grabba Bend - Nessa Preppy The A List - Pumpa Stick On - Lyrikal How Ah Livin - Farmer Nappy Where I Am - Freetown Collective Like Ah Boss (Ryan Sayeed's Typical Intro) - Machel Montano Anything - Buffy Put Your Hand On You Head (And Wine) - Sound Revolution feat. Derrick Seales Dis Is How - Crazy Blow Way - Kindred Rollin' - Homefront Famalay (Scratch Master Road Mix) - Machel Montano x Skinny Fabulous x Bunji Garlin Jumbo Jet - Bunji Garlin Party Bad - Mr. Legz x Mr. Killa Rum Sweet - Problem Child Weh Yuh Want (Soca Baby) (Clean) - Prezzi Don Welcome Back - Imani Ray

NORTHERN PRESCRIPTION Delilah (Clean) - Ka$h

Night & Day - Th3rd x JMTB Cut Me Loose - Kes x Travis World

Follow Dr. Jay @socaprince​ and @socatherapy

“Like” Dr. Jay on http://facebook.com/DrJayOnline

[herrlindemann]

BREAK OUT Magazine - January 2005

Oh, what hasn't already been speculated about Rammstein, interpreted in and out, speculated, argued about, philosophized and written about. And what remains after all the suggestions and half-truths, mostly brought into the world by people who are not really enthusiastic about Rammstein? What remains of all the reproaches, resentment and envy? It remains what every Rammstein concert ends with, whether in “Amerika”, in “Moskau” or in Frankfurt. In Rammstein's language, the smell of decay remains. Spoken in the language of the now refined feuilletonists, “the smell of burnt sulfur powder in the badly misty air”.

The fans aren't interested in any of that. He goes to a Rammstein concert because he likes it, because he likes the music, because he likes the show. It doesn't matter to him whether a pseudo-academic moralizer is still pointing out the rolling "R" of front man Till Lindemann with the double standard index, whether he is bothered by the Leni Riefenstahl aesthetics of many a video clip or promotional photo, or whether Wagner and Nietzsche are even trying to explain the Rammstein phenomenon.

And Rammstein doesn't care either. They do their thing and are still on the journey through all the reception phases of their work. In the concert, this is staged violently and loudly with the help of an infernal fire and the staccato of their album title "Reise, Reise" right at the beginning. No, masquerade, provocation or even false labeling cannot and do not want to be the solution for Mrs. Kleingeist's and Mr. Verleumder's misjudgment of sincerity and straightforwardness. But that doesn't matter to the fan either. He chooses what he likes. And what Rammstein offer seems to please.

Walking upright through the fire takes 80 minutes. What follows are two blocks of encores to achieve the saturation level of illumination, explosion and a musical material battle of industrial rock thunderstorms for the 13,000 Rammstein disciples in the Frankfurt Festhalle, who are thirsting for more and more.

From song to song, you're mesmerized by the spacious stage design, from which the Rammstein neon logo is carved into the heads of the pilgrims like a chisel in stone. From song to song you wait spellbound for what is to come. The group loudly celebrates alternately Sodom, masturbation, anal intercourse and Gomorrah and finally cannibalism in the form of the quite bizarrely staged song "Mein Teil". While firecracker Lindemann, disguised as a cook, lures keyboard virtuoso Christian ‘Flake’ Lorenz into an oversized cooking pot, he prepares the Rammstein-typical inferno of fire. With two self-constructed flamethrowers installed on the arms, Lindemann provides enough jets of flame to serve the columnists a new meal for their criticism. The reminiscence of the “Cannibal of Rothenburg” Armin Meiwes is successful. The staging too, and the feuilletonist is just as fed up as the applauding people. The amuse gueule (with songs like the swaggering "Links 2, 3, 4") tasted good, the starter (with the promising "Feuer Frei") was excellent, and the main course is served, as with the song "Rammstein" the long-awaited “Arrow of Fire” with arrows shot over the audience is offered. "Stein um Stein" traveled Rammstein in "Moscow" and "Amerika" until they finally see the "Sonne", with or "Ohne dich". The concert almost looks like a best-of show. Whether it's “Du hast”, “Du riechst so gut” or “Ich will”, none of the shout-along anthems are missing.

Rammstein just know how to put themselves in the limelight, be it with the ritualized setting themselves on fire, cultically revered neo-classics or new pyromaniac tricks. The journey through their oeuvre to date appears serene with 18 of their best songs, including the Depeche Mode cover “Stripped”. Rammstein nuance where they used to be excessive. And thanks to their marketing, Rammstein have become what they always wanted to be: the best rock band that Germany (after the retired Scorpions) ever had.

[katsushika-division]

Katsushika Division ⛓️

Main Blog: @lilyspade

Katsushika Division’s Death Row Block is a rap group consisting of Hitman and Division Leader Akihisa Mashiro, along with fellow members Serial Killer Touya Kisaragi, and Terrorist Bomber Rintaro Himura with Hidden 4th Member, Akari Himura.

The group's color is a deep red. The color was chosen to symbolize the blood that stains their hands. 

The group's symbol is a handcuff. It represents the group's imprisonment and was chosen to remind the members that they have no freedom.

The group has some form of a handcuff on them. Akihisa has one connecting the harness around his chest, Touya wears a modified one as a pair of bracelets on each wrist, and Rintaro has it as a buckle on his belt. 

Their hand sign from Rhyme Anima is the middle finger. 

Though these men seemingly have nothing in common, they are drawn together by one thing: they’re all inmates on death row and have been given an offer by the Prime Minister. Enter the D.R.B. and they get a chance to get off death row.

Masterlist:

Akihisa Mashiro 🪦

Character Profile

Family Profile

Moodboard

Timeline

Character Playlist

Birthday Event 2023, 2024

Touya Kisaragi 💔

Character Profile

Family Profile

Moodboard

Timeline

Character Playlist

Birthday Event 2023, 2024

Rintaro Himura 💣

Character Profile

Family Profile

Moodboard

Timeline

Character Playlist

Birthday Event 2023, 2024

Akari Himura 🎆

Character Profile

Family Profile

Timeline

Cinder A.P.B.

Character Playlist

Extras ⛓️

Character Inspirations

Before & After

Team Dynamics

Voice Claims

Profile Cards

Pride Month Headcanons

NSFW Headcanons 2023, 2024

Picrews

Isekai Outfits

Character Colors

Extra Wardrobe I & II

House Aesthetics

Day In the Life

Death Row Block x Sanrio Collaboration

Death Row Block 1st Anniversary

Valentine Event 2023, 2024

Halloween Event 2023, 2024

Christmas Event 2023

Albums (Songs & Drama Tracks) ⛓️

First Album

1st Drama Track: Dead Men Tell No Tales (Uncompleted) — Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Nobody Lives Forever (Azrael Birthday Mixtape)

Killer Love (MC Darling Birthday Mixtape)

Hell’s Symphony (Ignis Birthday Mixtape)

Katsushika Style ~Don't Make Us Laugh~

Division Rap Battle

Survival of the Illest

Alternative Rap Battle

Rhyme Anima Opening (Fatal Four Ver.)

Ain't No Love (Hell Spawns Duet)

Scorpion Battle Anthem (The Crossroads Diss)

Next Stage

Miscellaneous ⛓️

KaiShuuYa Polyship (Kaiji Sano x Shuu Edogawa x Touya Kisaragi)

Mr. Hypmic Beauty Pageant 2023

Mr and Mrs. Hypmic 2024 Couples Pageant

[cyarskaren52]

In 1998, the mainstream Hip-Hop landscape was dominated by No Limit soldiers, Bad Boys, and Wu-Tang killer bees. There was a preoccupiation with floss and, in the wake of the high-profile murders of 2Pac and the Notorious B.I.G., the industry seemed to want to shine as much as possible. Understandable — but out of Yonkers, N.Y., there came a crew. 

With a production wizard, a brash beauty, a trio bred from the streets, and a tortured superstar who was taking the rap game by storm, the Ruff Ryders put the streets squarely on the late 90s pop charts. In doing so, they helped usher in the new millennium of East Coast hardcore: grimy enough for the hood; polished enough for the charts. They owned the streets and the radio. 

Here's 25 of their best bangers.

#26

"JENNY FROM THE BLOCK" - JENNIFER LOPEZ FEAT. JADAKISS, STYLES P [BONUS SONG]

Our BONUS SONG pick is a celebrated classic guest spot! J. Lo got to reconnect with some of that Uptown swag and Yonkers connection when she hooked up w/two-thirds of the LOX. 

#25

"THEY AIN'T READY" - RUFF RYDERS W/JADAKISS, TIMBALAND, BUBBA SPARXXX

They crew from Yonkers made it clear that they had love for that Dirty South swag. VA superproducer Timbaland laced the track, which also features Athens, GA's own: Bubba Sparxxx. 

#24

"WW III" - RUFF RYDERS W/SNOOP DOGG, YUNG WUN, SCARFACE, JADAKISS

Swizz Beatz pulled together a who's-who of legendary emcees for this track from RYDE OR DIE VOL. 2. The song also served as the album opener for the hit compilation.

#23

"NIGGAZ DIE 4 ME" - DRAG-ON FEAT. DMX

X was Ruff Ryders' biggest star, and he had underrated chemistry with the young gun from The Bronx. The lead single from Drag-On's gold-selling 2000 debut album, OPPOSITE OF H2O, is one of the best from Y2K. 

DROP YOUR EMAIL

TO STAY IN THE KNOW

SUBMIT

#22

"WHO'S THAT GIRL" - EVE

The single from Eve’s sophomore album, SCORPION, is one of her most memorable, mostly due to the catchy hook. She’s clearing up any confusion about who she is as a woman and what she brings to the table artistically, carving out space to shine completely on her own.

#21

"KNOCK YOURSELF OUT" - JADAKISS

Never sleep on Jada's ability to craft radio tracks. From his solo debut KISS THA GAME GOODBYE, Jada's second single wasn't a Swizz beat; it was actually produced by The Neptunes. 

#20

"GOT IT ALL" RUFF RYDERS W/EVE AND JADAKISS

Jada and Eve pull off the classic "Battle of the Sexes" with this stellar back-and-forth over a steel drum-driven beat from Teflon. Released a single from Ryde Or Die, Vol. 2, it revived a classic pop music formula (seriously, everybody from Otis Redding and Carla Thomas to Ice Cube and Yo-Yo have done it) for the hardcore bling era.

#19

"WHO WE BE" - DMX

The surging beat is one of the most anthemic X ever rhymed over, and his aggression belies a tour-de-force performance that caps the tail end of DMX's most classic run. The kiddie chorus is the right kind of foreboding:  both a warning and a call-to-arms. 

#18

"MY NAME IS KISS" - JADAKISS

Kiss and The LOX had been well-established by the time he released this declaration of self. It's a showcase for his particular brand of pensive street rap and lyricism, a pronouncement more than an announcement. And proof positive that Kiss has a lane all his own. 

#17

"WHAT'S MY NAME" - DMX

By 1999, the whole world knew who this guy was. But X's hunger was still palatable in every single. Even as the vids got glossier and the collabos got Sisqo-ier, X managed to bring grittiness to hip-hop's surging mainstream over a skittering backdrop by Irv Gotti & Co.

#16

"LET ME BLOW YA MIND" - EVE FEAT. GWEN STEFANI

She'd begun her career on Dr. Dre's Aftermath, but we didn't really get to hear what E-V-E could do with the Good Doctor (and Scott Storch) until this monster hit from the early 00s. Paired with soon-to-be-solo superstar Gwen Stefani, the Philly rhymer delivered a bouncy single that still seems to capture the best of its era.

#15

"SLIPPIN'" - DMX

One of the best examples of DMX's tortured brilliance, the autumnal sadness of this classic perfectly conveys the hopelessness and vulnerability in X's verses. He's an artist who came to embody "write your pain," and this single from his second album is proof positive that few wore angst better.

#14

"LOVE IS BLIND" - EVE

An examination of domestic violence that lingers long after that first listen, Eve's heartfelt single was dedicated to her high school best friend. The Ruff Ryders' First Lady struck back for victims everywhere — and struck a chord with anyone who'd endured, known someone who'd survived, or had lost someone to the pain of abuse.

#13

"WHAT THEY REALLY WANT" - DMX FEAT. SISQÓ

DMX was on quite the singles run, Sisqó was at his post-"Thong Song" peak and over a slinky beat that could only come from Nokio, X rattles off his frustrations as a gruff ladies' man. The infamous name-dropping of "Brenda, LaTisha, Linda, Felicia..." made it one of the most quotable tracks in X's oeuvre and birthed a viral internet challenge almost 20 years after its release.

#12

"GOOD TIMES (I GET HIGH)" - STYLES P

Swizz's inspired flip of Freda Payne is the perfect backdrop for Styles P's ode to herbal refreshment. The hit leadoff single from his A GANGSTER AND A GENTLEMAN album, the track was close to inescapable in 2002; turning up everywhere from Swizz's own compilation to the Kevin Hart comedy SOUL PLANE.

#11

"STOP BEING GREEDY" - DMX

It sounded like a warning, issued from a newcomer ready to take on the flossy chart-toppers dominating the rap game. DMX had a few major hits under his arm when he unleashed this anthem, letting everybody know, regardless of where you stood in hip-hop's hierarchy, you were going to have to contend with the dark rhymer's hunger. 

#10

"WHY" - JADAKISS

Over soulful production from Mobb Deep's Havoc, Jadakiss poses the hood's hardest questions. It proved to be one of his most resonate tracks, and it's not hard to see why. Referencing everything from the prison industrial complex to the early 2002 Oscar race, it became a smash hit in the summer of 2004, skyrocketing all the way to No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

#9

"JIGGA MY NIGGA" - RUFF RYDERS W/JAY-Z

NYC-based rap labels were enjoying a friendly competition in the commercially lucrative late 90s. Roc-A-Fella and Ruff Ryders were two of the hottest brands in Hip-Hop. Jay-Z and Roc-A-Fella understood how to walk the balance between ballerific raps and street grit. Hov pairing with Ruff Ryders made all the sense in the world circa 1998. 

#8

"RIDE OR DIE BYTCH" - THE LOX W/EVE AND TIMBALAND

It became a phrase that defined Bonnie & Clyde-esque solidarity for a generation. And it was the single that announced The LOX's second act, as the street rap trio had landed on Ruff Ryders after a highly-publicized departure from Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Records. The Timbo-produced track made it clear the trio from Yonkers could craft radio hits and keep it street. 

#7

"WE GONNA MAKE IT" - JADAKISS FEAT. EVE AND STYLES P

An epic single that served as the first solo hit from Jadakiss, this street anthem (has any song ever epitomized that phrase better?) is one of the best in Ruff Ryders' enviable oeuvre. Alchemist laced Kiss with one of his most inspired beats, and Jadakiss delivers as only he can: the kind of rabble-rousing call to arms that resonated on many a corner.  

#6

"GOTTA MAN" - EVE

There had been odes to thug love before, but none had managed to be so cute, so sweet and so street — all at the same time. Eve's brand of everygirl relatability was unique in the high glamour late 90s, but make no mistake — nobody could blend swagger and sex appeal like the Ruff Ryders First Lady. The kind of song that made many a thug wish they had this sorta girl by their side.

#5

"GO HEAD" - THE LOX

Sometimes you just know an artist is in their element, and just enjoy watching them work. The LOX were, in many ways, the soul of Ruff Ryders. The grimy street tales from the Yonkers trio were always a better fit for Ruff Ryders than Bad Boy, and Sheek Louch, Styles P and Jadakiss do what they do best on this melancholy masterwork from TJ Beatz.

#4

"DOWN BOTTOM" - RUFF RYDERS W/DRAG-ON, SWIZZ BEATZ, AND JUVENILE

Proof positive that nobody does synth-driven fanfare better than Swizz, this epic single gave Drag-On a huge boost leading into his solo career and was one of the few late 90s East Coast/Dirty South collaborations that didn't’ feel forced or awkward. Juvie repped for NOLA’s Cash Money and, circa 1999, this was the two hottest new labels in the rap game joining forces.

#3

"GET AT ME DOG" - DMX FEAT. SHEEK LOUCH

Everybody knew Dark Man X was coming. He’d been making noise via underground performances and several star-making appearances on hit singles by Ma$e and LL COOL J for almost two years. But his first major label single dropped like a grimy bomb in a landscape littered with shiny suits. With his first hit, X made it clear who he was, and also made it clear that the game wasn’t going to drown in jigginess as we raced towards Y2K.

#2

"WHAT Y'ALL WANT" - EVE FEAT. NOKIO OF DRU HILL

She finally had her moment. The "Illest Pitbull In A Skirt" had been waiting in the wings for almost three years, but it was this catchy, salsa-inflected single from the RYDE OR DIE, VOL. 1 compilation that not only let the world know the Philly firebrand had arrived, but made it clear the RR was taking over the radio.

#1

"RUFF RYDERS ANTHEM" - DMX

Could there be any doubt? The song that all but announced the genius of Swizz Beatz, its an anthem in every sense: instantly memorable; a call to arms for the crew; and a song that transcends its time and era. It's the label's theme song, and captures a moment in time that feels immediate and fresh every time you hear that infectious chorus -- but it never feels stuck in 1998. It's a street rap masterpiece. And to think, X didn’t even like the beat when he first heard it

Sent from my iPhone

[regrettablewritings]

Animatic/Storyboard Music

Got bored/procrastinate-y on coloring in this ultra intricate card for my mom. So I’m just gonna make a list of songs I think make for good animatic material. Because why not/I wanna foist my musical tastes on people/ @locke-writes got me in a music binge. For the most part, it’s just gonna be me explaining the meanings or the vibe or what they generally tend to be used for, but really it’s mostly subjective so imaginate whatchu wanna.

“Trust Me” - The Devil’s Carnival Originally depicting a story about the Scorpion and the Frog, it’s the perfect song for when you want to depict the dynamic between a gullible or at the very least more grounded character and a figure whose intentions . . . may be less than pure. Or good for anyone, really.

“The Dismemberment Song” - The Blue Kid I have a playlist dedicated to songs whose content and sound are just . . . not married to one another, but got a weird flirtationship situation going on. Anyway, I’ve seen people say that they like to imagine it’s sung through the POV of a scorned housewife who’s finally Had Enough™️. And . . . They’re really not wrong for it. Really, though, it’s just the right song for when a sadist is just ready to gut a fucker but is disturbingly jolly about it.

“Love Me Dead” - Ludo Continuing with my trend of songs about people in less than ideal situations, “Love Me Dead” is straight to the point: The relationship is just awful and the guy gets nothing from it, but he can’t help but be hopelessly in a state of adoration for the woman he’s latched on to (“You’re born of a jackal! YOU’RE BEAUTIFUL!!”)

“Constellations” - The Oh Hellos There actually isn’t a plot to this song, it just feels really good (as all songs by The Oh Hellos are prone to be). However, if you feel a need to portray the concept of having to reorganize your thoughts after realizing that maybe they weren’t what you initially thought, and then coming to the conclusion that even though everything changes as a result, you’ll be alright? This is the song for you.

“A Kindling of Sorts” - The Oh Hellos An instrumental piece that is like . . . It’s related to another song of theirs about nationalism called “Torches”, so make of that what you will. (I personally have been using it to imagine storyboarding an opening for an animated The Witcher series.)

“The Other Side” - The Greatest Showman I know everyone and their mom has used this to portray situations like villains trying to get good guys to join their side. But I dun curr, it’s a fun song. That, and I like what Emilyamio did with her interpretation. It’s fun. For a basic rundown, know it’s another song about two characters’ dynamics being explored, with one coming to the other with a proposal that they join them in whatever endeavors they have in store. It’s often portrayed as something evil, but it really doesn’t have to be, as the original context was more about letting loose than anything.

“The Thief and the Moon” - Shawn James A much more mellow piece. Simple and straight to the point: A thief tells the Moon that he plans on stealing her light to shade the world in darkness. The Moon insists that the thief would only doom the world by doing so, to which the thief clarifies that he doesn’t care; if the world is shrouded in shadow, it means he will be able to steal with more ease (“My very existence is a race to attain wealth”). Disgusted, the Moon essentially curses the man with a warning that his greed can and will bring about his end -- and leave him to be forgotten by the rest of mankind, once it happens.

“Villainous Thing” - Shayfer James I’ve seen people say that this song is about singing to a cadaver but I can’t quite find anything confirming that (translation: I’m too lazy to look too into it). Regardless, it’s a fun ditty that yet again portrays someone with less than pure intentions encouraging someone to join him in some good old fashion villainy, as they’ve clearly endured their fair share of hardships and surely wanted to do evil anyway (“You’ll find no ever after here, it’s clear that isn’t what you came for“).

“Necromancin Dancin” - Bear Ghost Straight forward and fun as fuck: A necromancer apparently seems to cross classes and try his hand at barding by not only raising an army of the dead, but by also making them dance in order to make conquering the world easier. Because . . . a body doing Disco Duck isn’t scary, I guess.

"Aquaman” - Walk the Moon A song about one half of a couple wanting to become more involved in their relationship, but still having some nervousness about doing so. If you somehow haven’t heard this song yet, you gotta because it’s the cutest shit.

“Jenny’s Tale” - Ren I’ll be brutally honest, it’s about a woman named Jenny who just wants to get home after a long day of work and an unfortunate encounter with a 14 year old named Screech who gets way in over his head. As in, like, a death happens. That being said, I need. Like. An animated music video of this song. I imagine this shit in gritty charcoal or painted on glass, it just needs this. Somebody who isn’t me who knows what they’re doing, please look into this.

“The Curse of the Fold” - Shawn James As cheesy as it sounds, it basically boils down to not giving up or yielding. But what makes it so cool is the fact that Shawn James makes all his songs basically sound like a western gothic soundtrack. Which helps, because he admits that the title is also a reference to poker, in which giving up too often or too easily can often rob you of a delicious reward gained through perseverance and sacrifice.

“Thank God I’m Not You” - Himalayas I prefer to imagine this for an arrogant asshole of a character. Because that’s exactly what this song is about: They’re a liar and a thief, they’ve been called the son of Satan, and yet they consider themselves lucky -- ‘cause at least they ain’t you! If you have a character in mind who’s a delightful, punchable little shit, this is probably either their anthem or at least on the playlist you inevitably made for them.

"Passerine" - The Oh Hellos So there’s a common trend in The Oh Hellos’ discography that tends to explore the two founders’ experiences with faith and their growth in how they understand it or recognize it. With “Passerine”, the concept being explored is the experience they had when it came to taking a step back and realizing just how many of their supposed “fellow Christians” were actually doing some rather unchristian things, so to speak. When they “prune[d] their feathers”, it became clear that they had less in common with certain people proclaiming to be Christian while also spouting bigotry and greed. However, the desire to move away from such influences comes with the feeling of being torn, as moving too far away from the Bible leaves the singer feeling as though she is betraying something she holds dear. As a result, “Passerine” symbolizes not a breakage from faith, but a breakage from blind faith as they understood it, and the inevitable feeling of being torn that comes along with expanding upon how one views their beliefs and those around them. It’s therefore not uncommon to see Good Omens animatics using this song. (Something I also noticed is that throughout the song, you hear pieces of “Constellations”. TOH have a tendency to reference previous pieces, and considering “Constellations” is a song about changing perspective and the meanings we apply to them, it fits in beautifully with a song about reevaluating one’s stance.)

“Like the Dawn” - The Oh Hellos As stated before, a lot of TOH’s discography draws inspiration from their faith. In this case, it’s an outright retelling of the Garden of Eden, specifically when Adam awoke to find Eve had been created. What makes this iteration stand out to most, however, is that the singer is female, which seems to change the vibe you get. It sweetens the feeling of wonder we often forget the first man might’ve felt upon seeing somebody made for him, creating an air of beauty yet comfort with such lines as “And like the dawn, you broke the dark and my whole earth shook” or “You were the brightest shade of sun I had ever seen.” Even without the awareness or an interest in religious influences, it still manages to be a very feel-good song -- which is the mark of an overall good song in general!

“Confession” - RED Dealing with the constant battle of feeling ashamed that how you feel on the inside isn’t in sync with how you present yourself on the outside. That you should feel bad for smiling out at the world while screaming and thrashing -- like it’s a lie. But you can’t help it: It’s what you’re accustomed to. Though it does end on a hopeful note with the singer deciding that they want to reach out for help and rid themselves of this feeling of pain they have inside.

“When I Grow Up” - Matilda . . . Only if you want to cry. Seriously. When you’re a kid, everything seems difficult but you’re positive that once you grow up, everything will change: You’ll be tall enough to climb the trees you were too small to, you’ll be able to carry everything because you’re stronger, you’ll be brave enough to fight the monsters hiding in your room, you’ll finally have all the answers. . . . But life isn’t that simple. We wish it were, but it isn’t. There’s this bittersweetness about this song, about a sense of purity we unfortunately grow out of where we think things will be just the same enough for us to do what we want when we want, but things are more complicated than that. We still struggle to reach, to bear the weight, to not be afraid, to have even a fraction of the answers. But! We’re reminded that just because we’re told life isn’t fair, doesn’t mean we have to take it. After all, nothing changes when nothing happens. And even beyond that? It helps to remember that we’re never quite done growing up; there’s always more to learn, so remember to be patient with yourself.

“Hand Me My Shovel, I’m Going In!” - Will Wood and the Tapeworms This is . . . a song. The lyrics are honestly kinda all over the place and shooting rapid fire, making it a bit difficult to discern what exactly the singer is going on about. It makes for a pretty crazy song that suggests somebody’s going unhinged, which is apparently precisely the intention?? I’ve seen a lot of people interpret this as a song about a guy who is already at a low point in his life but nonetheless is going, “. . . I bet I can go deeper. Hand me my shovel.”

“No Reason” - Beetlejuice God if i had a youtube channel the segment i would spend on this song would be so juicy just ripe and thicc with thoughts and feelings i tell ya rich like a fresh fatty peach the apple that tempted Eve and gagged Adam yes ‘Nother song that explores the dynamic between two differing people and their worldviews. At its simplest, “No Reason” is about two opposite ends of a spectrum coming to a head: Idealistic and hippie-dippy Delia is convinced that everything happens for a reason, while cynical and depressed Lydia asserts that everything happens at random and it doesn’t matter anyway because we’re all going to die. And even though the delivery is ultimately a comedic one, you get more insight as to why one another feels the way that they do: Lydia, as we’ve previously learned, has recently lost her mother to an illness, which has left her depressed and feeling invisible (a theme in the show); whereas Delia’s failed marriage and desperate attempts to nonetheless be happy have left her dependent on the idea that these things had to have happened for a reason, otherwise, her pain would’ve been for nothing. What’s important is that neither side is actually appointed as the winner, with the song ultimately ending that the universe is random for a reason.

“Barbara 2.0″ - Beetlejuice Without spoiling anything (or at least too much), “Barbara 2.0″ is about growth. It’s about learning to put your foot down after a literal lifetime of being passive out of fear of what might happen and just accepting that nothing will happen if nothing happens -- but that doesn’t make whatever happens good.

“Bleed Magic” - IDHKBTFM It’s either about a killer or a vampire. No, seriously: When Dallon Weekes was asked about what the story of the song was, that was his answer. I personally prefer to think of it as a vampire or demon of some kind, given that the song came out around Halloween. Perfect for yet another example of somebody (likely supernatural) having an upper hand on an unsuspecting mortal. ...I have way too many of these on this list, I swear I don’t have a problem —

“Feel Good Drag” - Anberlin A toxic relationship of sorts. In that it shouldn’t be a relationship to begin with. Depicts the singer being approached by an ex, who seeks a one-night stand while her current boyfriend is out of town. However, the singer is aware that trying to continue anything regardless of the situation is a moot point: Even when they were together, their relationship was doomed from the start, and nothing about that is going to change -- especially now.

“Soviet Trumpeter” - Katzenjammer (It’s kinda difficult to work with this one but I’ve seen people work with less or stranger.) Based off the life of one Eddie Rosner, a Jewish Polish trumpeter whose fame within the USSR unfortunately faded due to the Soviet Union’s heavy censorship. Even if nothing is to be done with it, it still paints a melancholic picture of a talented man’s skills being largely unknown as a result of things beyond his control. All wrapped up in a song that denotes a strange deterioration in a way I can’t quite place.

“Apple Blossom” - The White Stripes On its face, it’s a very sweet song: The singer encourages his beloved to be vulnerable enough with him to tell him her troubles and to let him “sort them out for [her]”. She’s clearly saddened, and seeing so distresses him to where he insists that he will do whatever he can to make her happy. However, the tone of the song and certain lines make it easy to twist into yet another song of a character attempting to seduce somebody into a state of vulnerability . . .

“You’ve Got Possibilities” - It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Superman The one singular song people actually liked from this forgotten musical. Perfect for when somebody intends on giving somebody else a makeover. Y’know, after totally roasting them on their posture and clothing. If you want to add a lil something extra, know that the context is that a lady wants to give Clark Kent a makeover, insisting that in spite of his schlubby appearance, there’s gotta be something underneath. I repeat: She is telling this to Clark freaking Kent.

 “Still” - Anastasia In the context, the show’s antagonist (not bad guy, there’s a difference) finds himself torn between obligation and personal interest: Does he fulfill his duty and live up to expectations set upon him by his father and the society he’s been selected to help uphold? Or does he let a woman he has become fond of go? Is she truly as innocent as she claims? Or is she well aware of what she’s doing? And every time he thinks he’s reached a conclusion, he can’t help but thing, “But still . . .” Good for when you want to portray a character conflicted between obligations of politics and what their heart wants.

“Two Nobodies in New York” - [title of show] Two young men plan on entering an upcoming theatrical festival but struggle with what to even submit. This song in particular focuses on them trying to figure out what to even write, the concept of fame, and if wanting the certain things that may come with fame can mean anything from being sell-outs to getting a sitcom. It’s admittedly specific, but it’s a cute and funny interaction between two guys who are, for the most part, actually in sync with their thoughts and anxieties. For the time being.

“Into the Unknown” - Idina Menzel Look, I refuse to watch that movie. I just do. But I will take this song over That Other One any day. Mostly because I personally like to imagine that the singer in this song is about to embark on a Pixaresque journey after accidentally leaving her home during the night of The Wild Hunt, accidentally separating her spirit from her body and thus giving her a very limited time to get back to it before she remains a soul trapped in a whirlwind of ghosts forever. But first: Let’s sing about that strange howling that coaxes her so.

“You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid” - The Offspring I sure do long songs that can characterize a shithead . . . Anywho! The smoothest way to go is just to portray some cocky, manipulative shit who’s used to just lying and cheating their way to get what they want before slipping away without any consequences -- to a point. There’s the option of portraying the betrayer’s comeuppance, but there’s also the frustratingly delicious option of just letting them get away with whatever to lie another day.

“Why Should I Worry” - Billy Joel When in doubt, go to earlier Disney. Because like it or not, they had some bops. And when in the need of portraying a happy-go-lucky (probably idiotic) doofus and his more neurotic or cynical friend going about their life with the former just Mr. Magooing it while the latter suffers more realistic consequences? You go with this song. If you want. That’s just me.

“Transformation” - Brother Bear For when you want to invoke a mystical or otherworldly feeling. There’s really not much more I can say except to encourage you to listen to it and watch the scene if you can find it. You’ll get the vibe.

“No Girl’s Toy” - Raggedy Ann and Andy: A Musical Adventure It’s a big shame this movie is relatively unknown and never got a proper VHS release or anything -- mainly because the music in this cult classic is definitely stuff I could see becoming standards. I could see people performing “I Never Get Enough” for little shows, or recycling “Blue” for a different show. Thankfully, somebody was able to upload a clear enough sounding recording of “No Girl’s Toy”, so at least we have that. In context (just...follow me on this), Raggedy Ann’s brother, Raggedy Andy, has had enough of being subjected to “girly things” while in the nursery. Additionally, though, the way the song was written means it can also be interpreted as just a guy who refuses to let himself be yanked around regardless of how thick the sugar being laid on him is. . . . If you wanna poke fun as a character for trying to appear tougher than what he is, here’s the song. (That being said, Andy is a sweetheart at the end of the day. No amount of tough-fronting will hide that.)

“I Enjoy Being a Girl” - Flower Drum Song (It is by sheer coincidence that this song follows the above.) Really, it’s exactly what it says on the tin: The singer enjoys being a girl and what all it entails for her. She loves her feminine form, she loves the attention she gets, she loves dolling herself up, she loves frilly dresses, and she hopes to one day marry a guy who enjoys “having a girl like [her].” And honestly? Good on her! Love whatcha love, lovely! Seriously, though, it’s a cute song for anyone who just wants to indulge in some girliness.

“Chip on My Shoulder” - Legally Blonde Come on: It’s Legally Blonde. You know what this bop is, or at least have an idea of it. But since I love this song, I’ll indulge: Disheartened by her failure to both win back her ex and succeed in the fast-paced environment of Harvard, the normally bright-eyed Elle is ready to call it quits. That is, until junior partner Emmett gets involved. Unimpressed by her story, Emmett reveals that he got to where he was by busting his ass due to having a chip on his shoulder from his rough beginnings — and maybe a chip on the shoulder is exactly what Elle needs to survive. And as somebody driven by spite, I can appreciate that kind of message. Anywho, it all in all is a song about growth and learning how to be “driven as hell” to keep up with an opportunity that may not be easy to take, but is not one to be passed by.

“What Do I Need with Love?” - Thoroughly Modern Millie “What Do I Need with Love?” asks exactly that: He could date a different girl every night of the week if he so wanted, and never once had any desire to go steady before. He considers himself lucky to have never fallen for anyone -- until now. Which he’s not! He’s not in love. ...He totally is and, by his own admission, he’s got it bad it’s terribly adorable.

“Interlude IV” - Zach Callison The entire album is actually a narrative about a failed relationship of Callison’s and I’m sure the other songs are just as great fuel for animatics -- I’m just too caught up on listening to this one over and over. Sometimes, we just wanna listen to Steven Universe cuss and be openly furious. Seriously, though, even without the context of the rest of the story, you get the idea well enough: A spiteful Zach decides to get back at the one that broke his heart in such a painful way, whereas a well-meaning friend insists they just leave it be and move on. While this technically would be the better and healthier option, Zach is just too far gone with rage to let it go and decides to take care of things by himself.

“Evermore” - Beauty & the Beast Look, I know the remake wasn’t anything crazy. But also I don’t honestly care too terribly much. Besides, this song was nice and it really gets me after that key change. We all want a royal doofus to be enamored enough with us to let us go for our own happiness but still know that their life will forever be changed because they met us. Animate that shit. Over and over.

goddamn this list is long lemme just stop this now byyyyeeeee

[yourmusicmypleasure]

XLISTEN TO - YMMP : BEST OF 20XVIII

Did your favorites make my list?

*HEAVY ROTATION*

The 1975, A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships

Above & Beyond, Common Ground

Adrianne Lenker, abysskiss

Alison Wonderland, Awake

Alt-J, Reduxer

Amber Mark, Conexão

Amen Dunes, Freedom

*Anderson .Paak, Oxnard*

Andrew Bird, Echolocations: River

Arctic Monkeys, Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino

Ariana Grande, Sweetner

Armin van Buuren, A State of Trance 2018

AURORA, Infections of a Different Kind (Step I)

Bad Bunny, X 100PRE

The Ballroom Thieves, Paper Crown

Beach House, 7

Birdtalker, One

*The Blaze, DANCEHALL*

Blood Orange, Negro Swan

*Bob Moses, Battle Lines*

*BØRNS, Blue Madonna*

The Boxer Rebellion, Ghost Alive

Brandi Carlile, By The Way, I Forgive You

*Brazilian Girls, Let’s Make Love*

Buzzy Lee, Facepaint

*Cardi B, Invasion of Privacy*

Cat Power, Wanderer

Chloe x Halle, The Kids are Alright

*Christine and the Queens, Chris*

Chrome Sparks, Chrome Sparks

*CHVRCHES, Hansa Session*

Circa Survive, The Amulet

Claptone, Fantast

cupcakKe, Ephorize

*Death Cab for Cutie, Thank You for Today*

*Diplo, California*

Dirty South, darko

DJ Koze, Knock Knock

*Drake, Scorpion*

Dutchkid, Empires

Earl Sweatshirt, Some Rap Songs

*Elohim, Elohim*

Erika Wennerstrom, Sweet Unknown

*Father John Misty, God’s Favorite Customer*

Felix Cartal, Next Season

*First Aid Kit, Ruins*

Florence + The Machine, High as Hope

Frankie Cosmos, Vessel

George FitzGerald, All That Must Be

Geowulf, Great Big Blue

Gorgon City, Escape

Gorillaz, The Now Now

Great Lake Swimmers, The Waves, The Wake

Greta Van Fleet, Anthem of the Peaceful Army

Gundelach, Baltus

Hayley Kiyoko, Expectations

Henry Green, Shift

How to Dress Well, The Anteroom

The Internet, Hive Mind

*J Balvin, Vibras*

*J. Cole, KOD*

MihTy, MIH-TY

Jim James, Uniform Distortion

Joey Purp, QUARTERTHING

Joji, BALLADS I

Jon Hopkins, Singularity

Jorja Smith, Lost & Found

JPEGMAFIA, Veteran

Julia Holter, Aviary

Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, boygenius

*Jungle, For Ever*

Justin Timberlake, Man of the Woods

*Kacey Musgraves, Golden Hour*

Kali Uchis, Isolation

Kamasi Washington, Heaven and Earth

Kanye West, ye

Khalid, Suncity

*Lane 8, Little by Little*

Leah James, While She Sleeps

*Leon Bridges, Good Thing*

Lera Lynn, Plays Well with Others

Let’s Eat Grandma, I’m All Ears

Lil Wayne, The Carter V

Lo Moon, Lo Moon

Low, Double Negative

Lucy Ducas, Historian

Lupe Fiasco, DROGAS WAVE

Lykke Li, so sad, so sexy

Mac Ayres, Something to Feel

*Mac Miller, Swimming*

Maluma, F.A.M.E.

Marian Hill, Unusual

Meshell Ndegeocello, Ventriloquism

*Metric, Art of Doubt*

Middle Friends, Lost Friends

Mipso, Edges Run

Mitski, Be the Cowboy

MNEK, Language

*MØ, Forever Neverland*

Moby, Everything Was Beautiful, and Nothing Hurt

MorMor, Heaven’s Only Wishful

Mount Eerie, Now Only

Mumford & Sons, Delta

Neneh Cherry, Broken Politics

Nicki Minaj, Queen

Nipsey Hussle, Victory Lap

Noname, Room 25

Okay Kaya, Both

Phoebe Bridgers, Stranger in the Alps

Playboi Carti, Die Lit

Post Malone, beerbongs & bentleys

Pusha T, DAYTONA

Rhye, Blood and Blood Remixed

Rico Nasty, Nasty

*Rita Ora, Phoenix*

*Robyn, Honey*

ROSALÍA, El Mar Querer

*RÜFÜS DU SOL, SOLACE*

Santigold, I Don’t Want: The Gold Fire Sessions

Sheck Wes, MUDBOY

Snail Mail, Lush

Soccer Mommy, Clean

*Sofi Tucker, Treehouse*

SOPHIE, Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides

St. Lucia, Hyperion

Steffany Gretzinger, Blackout

Steve Angello, HUMAN

Sudan Archives, Sink

SYML, In My Body

Thom Yorke, Suspiria (Music for the Luca Guadagnino Film)

Tom Misch, Geography

Travis Scott, ASTROWORLD

Tune-Yards, I can feel you creep into my private life

U.S. Girls, In a Poem Unlimited

Vacationer, Mindset

VHS Collection, Retrofuturism

The Voidz, Virtue

Wild Nothing, Indigo

Wye Oak, The Louder I Call, the Faster It Runs

Yo La Tengo, There’s a Riot Going On

Yotto, Hyperfall

Young Fathers, Cocoa Sugar

Yuno, Moodie

Zhu, RINGOS DESERT

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

PEACE,

DANI GEE

[seanhtaylor]

The More You Know... cuz Knowing Is Half the Battle

I asked the other day about a list of rock and roll bands which were metal and which were not. Well, after seeing your responses and a post by another friend on FB, my OCD brain went into categorization mode (as tends to happen in that swampy wasteland of synapses) and this happened. I figured that there were multiple sub-categories within what is generally thought of as "heavy metal." Discounting that most who talk about "heavy metal" really just mean "hair bands," I worked it down to five key subgenres and a few criteria to help delineate them. There will obviously be gradations within each grouping, ranging from heavier to softer, etc. A caveat, I'm not saying any one subgenre is greater or lesser than any other. They all have their places. And there's definitely some of all of it in my "heavy metal and hard rock" playlist. I just call that list Hit Parader because that was the magazine that covered so many of these artists and genres back in the day. So, onto the categories... 1. Metal Musically, metal is more intricate than an average pop or hard rock song, typically based more on classical archetype and structure rather than blues or 4-chord pop. Lyrically, they tend to focus on more esoteric subjects such as mythology, life and death, religious imagery, or magnum open stories. Metal has a focus on the "craft" of the song, rather than the popularity or stage performance of the song. Metal isn't built to be an earworm but something to be really listened to in order to dig out what the song is saying typically. Some key performers of metal include Metallica, Queensryche, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Megadeth 2. Hard Rock Musically, hard rock is more based on blues rock and pop song structures. One-Four-Five, 12-Bar, the 4-chord box, and the first few notes of the scale turned into chords. This makes the hooks and riffs catchier than most metal and easier for a general audience to gravitate to and enjoy. They're still filled with distorted guitar and heavy drums typically. Lyrically, hard rock tends to follow the subjects of pop music, with songs about love, sex, drinking, and partying. The focus tends to be on how well a song shares with an audience as it is performed rather than the intricacies of the composition and if the listeners sing along or pump their devil horns in the air. Some key performers of hard rock include Motley Crue, Halestorm, Motorhead, AC/DC, Whitesnake, Scorpions 3. Heavy Pop (I prefer to call it Distortion Pop) Musically distortion pop could easily become a regular pop song if the guitars were replaced with keyboard or some less distorted instrumentation. The songs are completely built on earworm riff and melodic hooks that often become anthemic. Lyrically, the songs are about love and sex, or just how cool the performers are, particularly when they are performing the song. If audiences can't quickly catch on and sing along to almost every word, it's not distortion pop. A powerful stage show, but not quite theatric (we'll cover that next) is a must, and the singer or typically frontman must be able to totally wail the high notes and prance around stage controlling every eye and guiding the show like a ringmaster. Some key performers of distortion pop include Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Foreigner, Night Ranger, Styx 4. Heavy Glam Heavy Glam is all about the image. Teased hair, make-up, stage theatrics. The songs are quick, simple, and either catchy, kitschy, or "controversial." That's controversial for the sake of agitating parents, not for any actual belief in the controversial subjects. The music in many cases, not all, is second to the staging and image (not to say it isn't fun and good, but not the main point of forming the band). Some key performers of distortion pop include Stryper, Poison, KISS (admittedly they went hard rock later in their career), W.A.S.P., GWAR, Twisted Sister 5. Heavy Bubble Gum This is where a lot of folks' favorite "hair metal bands" live. They are the ones still played on 80s radio. The songs are (if possible) even catchier and simpler

lyrically than distortion pop. This is "metal" for the mass ear. There's very little concern for structure and lyrical depth, and it's all about getting buy-in from and identification with the listener. Songs are syrupy love or sex songs, and everybody's looking for a good time. The theme of the day is fun, not depth. Some key performers of Heavy Bubble Gum include Winger, Y&T, Extreme, Nelson, Quiet Riot, Slade 5. A Few Outliers There are quite a few bands who don't easily fit any of these categories but got lumped into "metal" back in the day simply because they played loud rock music and featured distortion pedals. But they weren't really metal at all. Rush -- A progressive band that was also very esoteric and musical but lacked the aggression that typically accompanied metal. Their intricacies and melodies often ventured into both metal and distortion pop, but never stayed there for long, even within one song most of the time. Guns N Roses -- Perhaps as pure and true a rock and roll band as the Rolling Stones, and just as difficult to classify. They played heavy rock riffs so they got lumped at the end of hair metal but totally not wrapped up in any of it. ZZ Top -- A blues band that started experimenting with other sounds and fans of metal gravitated to their crunchy blues rocks riffs, so they got coverage in the metal mags like Hit Parader and Circus, but totally a blues-rock band.

[midnight-madonna]

answer the questions given to you by the tagger, write 11 questions of your own and tag 11 people

tagged by @diamondsinrust and @daveslutstaine thanks!!

@diamondsinrust questions:

1. If you could have one Rocker as your boyfriend. Who would that be? none of them, they’re my sons XD

2. Your favorite glam metal band? Dokken (they’re glam metal right? 😆)

3. 3 favorite drummers? Cozy Powell, Stefan Kaufmann, Scott Travis

4. Best frontman? Rob Halford!

5. 5 Favorite bands? Judas Priest, Accept, Rainbow (they will always be my top 3), Scorpions, Ария

6. What role would you have in an own band? I’d love to be a bassist

7. What music would your band make? heavy metal probably

8. How woud your outfits look like? bitchin’ XD

9. Your rock anthem? aaa difficult to choose

10. A band that is underrated? Accept is quite underrated these days imo

11. Your current band obsession? Mgła I guess but it’s not obsession I just like their music

@daveslutstaine questions

1. If you could change any thing in the world what would it be and why? Narrow - minded and intolerant people. Maybe there would be less hatred in the world

2. If you where in a band what would you name your first album? Life is Pain (lol i dunno)

3. Which one of your favs would you let put you in a choke hold? I’ll go with Alice Cooper

4. Funniest discourse you’ve seen? I can’t remember tbh

5. Favorite guitarist? Glenn Tipton/Wolf Hoffmann/Ritchie Blackmore

6. Do you suffer from chronic pain? no 7. Name one thing you can’t live without? music

8. What are your talents? I do not have any talent lmao 9. Do you have a battle vest/jacket? If so what’s your favorite patch/pin on it? Sadly I don’t have but I’d love to!

10. Do you guys have any cds/vinyls/cassettes? If so, of what bands/artists? I have 80 CDs of various bands (e.g. Judas Priest, Rainbow, Accept, Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath, Gn’R, Megadeth, Metallica…)

11. Favorite piece of band merch? my Judas Priest t-shirt

My questions:

1. 5 favourite guitar riffs? 2. 3 favourite basslines? 3. The most overrated band in your opinion? 4. 4 songs you really cannot stand? 5. 3 favourite female vocalists? 6. What are your favourite band logos? (choose 4) 7. Is there a genre of metal/rock you don’t like? Why? 8. What bands have you seen so far? 9. 5 favourite ballads? 10. 5 favourite non english songs? 11. 3 favourite bands from your home country? (these are kinda lame I’m sorry 😆)

tagging @tarottwoman @keep-looking-forwards-endlessly @angels-holocaust @daveslutstaine @psyborgrockstar @eternally-my-soul-will-rot  @defendersofvengeance 😊

[shinagawa-division]

Shinagawa Division 🕷

Main: @theknightssecrets

Shinagawa Division CodeX are an all female rap group consisting of Chuohku’s Lead Scientist and Division Leader Ritsuko Okada, along with members CEO Miho Kobayashi and Her Niece and Infamous Anarchist, Sumire Shinomiya.

Their team color is neon green.

Their group symbol is a spider. The spider is the ultimate symbol of creativity. It shows its power in the way it spins its web. The spider is also a weaver of illusion. Spiders also create, destroy, kill, and create again. Each member has a spider on their person in the form of a pin, one on Ritsuko’s lab coat, one on Miho’s tie, and one on Sumire’s skirt.

Their hand sign from Rhyme Anima is the finger guns motion.

Each member seems to be different in style yet similar at the same time. Despite not having anything in common with each other, they work together surprisingly well and play into each other’s strengths making them a fierce foe and yet, they all seem to have a personal goal and their own ulterior motives for why they’re in the DRB.

Masterlist:

Part 2

Ritsuko Okada 🧪

Character Profile

Family Profile

Moodboard

Timeline

Character Playlist

Extra Wardrobe

Birthday Event 2023, 2024

Miho Kobayashi 👠

Character Profile

Family Profile

Moodboard

Timeline

Character Playlist

Extra Wardrobe

Birthday Event 2022, 2023, 2024

Sumire Shinomiya 😈

Character Profile

Family Profile

Moodboard

Timeline

Character Playlist

Extra Wardrobe

Scorpion Den (Overview)

Scorpion Den (The Crew)

Birthday Event 2021, 2022, 2023

Relationship Chart (JiMire - Sumire Shinomiya x Jiro Yamada)

Side Characters 🕷️

Aamon / Aiko Shinomiya

Aiko Family Profile

Malphas / Masuzō Shinomiya

Malphas Family Profile

Malphas & Aiko Timeline

Seir / Seizou Shinomiya

Seizou Family Profile

Extras 🕷️

Character Inspirations

Shinomiya Siblings Inspirations

Before & After

Team Dynamics

Voice Claims

Shinomiya Siblings Voiceclaims

Profile Cards

2024 Pride Month Headcanons

NSFW Headcanons 2023, 2024

Picrews

Character Colors

House Aesthetics

Day In The Life: Workplaces

CodeX x Sanrio Collaboration

Stageplay (Give Me the Mic)

CodeX 1st Anniversary

CodeX 3rd Anniversary

Valentines Event 2023, 2024

Halloween Event 2021, 2022, 2023

Christmas Event 2022, 2023

Miss Hypmic Beauty Pageant 2023 Submissions (Sumire)

Relationship Chart (MalADA - Malphas/Masuzō Shinomiya x A.D.A./Ageha Shinozaki)

The Spider and The Butterfly (MalADA Wedding Event)

The Shino Children (1/2) / (2/2) (MalADA Fanchildren)

The HegemonyWedding Ceremony (Miho Kobayashi x Tomi Chōten Wedding Event) (Update)

Mr and Mrs. Hypmic 2024 Couples Pageant Submissions

Albums (Songs & Drama Tracks) 🕷️

First Album

1st Drama Track: Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Completed) — Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Into The Den Vol. 1 / Vol. 2 (Scorpion Den 1st Album / Diabla Birthday Mixtape)

Sweetbitter (Strychnine Birthday Mixtape)

Empire Of Iron (Iron Maiden Birthday Mixtape)

Femme Fatale vs. CodeX vs. Oculus Theme (Guns For Hire)

Kizuna/Bonds

Division Rap Battle

Survival of the Illest

Alternative Rap Battle

Glory or Dust

Division Battle Anthem

Hoodstar +

Hang Out!

SUMMIT OF DIVISIONS

Obey Us (The Hegemony Ver.)

Rhyme Anima Opening (Deadly Four Ver.)

Rhyme Anima: Last ENDing (Deadly Four Ver.)

Rap Guerrilla (Deadly Four Ver.)

Rap Guerrilla (Chuohku’s F8 Ver.)

ANARCHY -City on Fire!!-

Next Stage

Scorpion Battle Anthem

UNITED EMCEEZ —Enter The Hexagon— (Femme Fatale & CodeX Ver.)

Verbal Justice (CodeX Ver.)

True Pride (The Hegemony Ver.)

Hypnosis Mic OC Blog

You can ask any questions you wan! (within reason).

This blog is mainly for fun so I won’t be super active

Please don’t steal my characters, if you want to have them feature in a story (or hopefully some art) please give credit.

I do have another OC Division Blog @saitama-division so I will have to focus on that as well.

Warning: There is going to be some canon divergence on both blogs so please remember that.

[nuclearblastuk]

LIMITED '30 YEARS OF NUCLEAR BLAST - THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION' AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER

It's time to celebrate! To coincide with the label’s 30th anniversary, Nuclear Blast will release 7 vinyl albums in a premium box featuring classic cuts from NIGHTWISH, SABATON, DIMMU BORGIR, BLIND GUARDIAN, SLAYER, ACCEPT, KREATOR, AVANTASIA, IN FLAMES, ANTHRAX, BLUES PILLS and many more. You will find timeless anthems, current neck breakers and epic hymns in this journey through 3 decades of steel-capped history. Set to be released on October 27th on an exclusive Nuclear Blast green vinyl, the box will be limited to 1000 copies and is available for pre-order here: http://bit.ly/NuclearBlast30th The collection includes the following 86 metal hymns: LP 1 Side A 01. Dimmu Borgir – Mourning Palace 02. Hypocrisy – Roswell 47 03. Children Of Bodom - Morrigan 04. Behemoth – Ov Fire And The Void 05. Immortal - Hordes To War 06. Benediction - The Grotesque Side B 01. Carcass - Unfit For Human Consumption 02. Kataklysm - In Shadows & Dust 03. Memoriam - Memoriam 04. Soilwork - As We Speak 05. Cradle Of Filth - Blackest Magick In Practice 06. Equilibrium - Born To Be Epic LP 2 Side A 01. Slayer - Repentless 02. Lamb Of God - Still Echoes 03. Testament - More Than Meets The Eye 04. Overkill - Ironbound 05. Exodus - Salt The Wound 06. Death Angel - Sonic Beatdown Side B 01. Kreator - Gods Of Violence 02. Anthrax - For All Kings 03. Machine Head - Killers & Kings 04. Destruction - Thrash Till Death 05. Tankard - A Girl Called Cerveza 06. Die Apokalyptischen Reiter - Unter Der Asche LP 3 Side A 01. Accept - Teutonic Terror 02. Blind Guardian - Fly 03. Helloween - Lost In America 04. Primal Fear - Seven Seals 05. Threshold - Staring At The Sun 06. Rage - The Devil Strikes Again Side B 01. Sabaton - To Hell And Back 02. Edguy - Superheroes 03. Battle Beast - Over The Top 04. Metal Church - Killing Your Time 05. Doro - Raise Your Fist In The Air 06. Black Star Riders - Heavy Fire 07. Hammerfall - Hearts On Fire LP 4 Side A 01. Nightwish - Élan 02. Avantasia - Mystery Of A Blood Red Rose 03. Amorphis - Silver Bride 04. Eluveitie - Omnos 05. Sonata Arctica - The Wolves Die Young 06. Luca Turilli’s Rhapsody - Rosenkreuz Side B 01. Therion - To Mega Therion 02. Epica - Never Enough 03. Twilight Force - Powerwind 04. Symphony X - Without You 05. The Kovenant - New World Order LP 5 Side A 01. In Flames - The End 02. Fear Factory - Dielectric 03. Pain - Call Me 04. Devil You Know - Shattered Silence 05. Mantar - Era Borealis 06. Grand Magus - Triumph And Power Side B 01. Meshuggah - Future Breed Machine 02. Hatebreed - Honor Never Dies 03. Sepultura - I Am The Enemy 04. Killer Be Killed - Wings Of Feather And Wax 05. Discharge - Infected 06. Agnostic Front - The American Dream Died 07. Soulfly - We Sold Our Souls To Metal 08. Madball - Hardcore Lives 09. Rise Of The Northstar - Samurai Spirit LP 6 Side A 01. Blues Pills - Lady In Gold 02. Kadavar - Last Living Dinosaur 03. Witchcraft - It’s Not Because Of You 04. Graveyard - The Apple & The Tree 05. Crobot - Legend Of the Spaceborne Killer 06. Orchid - Wizard Of War 07.Scorpion Child - Polygon Of Eyes Side B 01. Opeth - Sorceress 02. Enslaved - One Thousand Years Of Pain 03. Avatarium - The Girl With The Raven Mask 04. The Doomsday Kingdom - Never Machine LP 7 Side A 01. Suicide Silence - Doris 02. The Charm The Fury - Down On The Ropes 03. Forever Still - Miss Madness 04. Fallujah - The Void Alone 05. Fleshgod Apocalypse - In Aeternum 06. Aversions Crown - Ophiophagy Side B 01. Thy Art Is Murder - Holy War 02. Carnifex - Drown Me In Blood 03. Despised Icon - Beast 04. Rings Of Saturn - Inadequate 05. All Shall Perish - There Is Nothing Left 06. Bury Tomorrow - Earthbound

[niennaful-blog]

  REGARDING NIENNA IN BATTLE:

  ⋆  Nienna is an adept (previously N7 Fury Adept) with Alliance, Jump Zero and N7 training.

  ⋆   She has, at least at some point, wielded dual omni blades.

 ⋆  In addition to either the omni blade or, occasionally, asari sword, she relies heavily on her biotics.

  ⋆   Her battle style focuses on speed.

  ⋆   She prefers hand-to-hand combat over guns. It gets her adrenaline running, gets her into the heat of the battle, and reminds her it’s real. In some morbid way, she needs to feel the kill. Needs to feel the life leave the body not only to get the rush of success, but also to remind herself that she does - in fact - kill for a living. Did in her N7 days, anyway. It’s a part of the reason she doesn’t want to go back.

  ⋆ When using a gun, however, her go-to is the Scorpion (or, if available, the Geth Plasma Shotgun).

  ⋆  Nienna’s specialties are Barrier and Nova. 

  ⋆  In addition, two-projectile Throw as well as Singularity are in her repertoire.

  ⋆ She is often comfortable playing the role of a supporter thanks to this. She can create and uphold a steady Barrier for significantly longer than an average biotic. However, as her training was focused on Barrier and Nova, her Throw and Singularity aren’t as powerful in exchange.

  ⋆ That isn’t to say she can’t dominate the battle field with her skills either way.

  ⋆ Though she is reluctant to get back on the field, once she is out there, she gets highly aggressive. Her battle style is the polar opposite of her usually calm, mellow personality.

  ⋆ Nienna’s N7 armor was rather bright blue. According to sources, it was a nudge towards her icy approach as well as her Nordic roots.

  ⋆ In addition, according to her, they were trying to paint a picture of a “biotic angel” with her appearance, topping the armor off with large shoulder armor. The notion always made her laugh, personally.

  ⋆ The apparent brightness of the armor was also calculated, as her approach was always rather direct. She was the person they called when they wanted to get in through the front door rather than sneak around the back.

  ⋆ Briefly and towards the end of her N7 career, Nienna was the leader of her own squad. Specialized on offensive attacks rather than recon. She lost her leg protecting the new recruit of her team, though she’s never admitted it to the official report, claiming she stepped into a mine by her own mistake.

 ⋆ For a time, she did find joy and thrill in the heat of the battle. She was quite good at it, as well, after all. However, her final mission was her final wake-up call to the reality of who she was, what she was doing and what she wanted to do.

  ⋆ In her Andromeda verse (aka main verse) she’s quite rusty due to months of inactivity. According to her, however, biotics are like riding a bike. You can’t unlearn it. She can still raise a mean barrier if need be. 

BATTLE ANTHEMS: SINGULARITY | DRAGON RIDER |

[happymetalgeek]

THE THREE TREMORS (featuring Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens, Sean Peck and Harry Conklin)  storming self titled debut album “The Three Tremors” is out now on Steel Cartel Records.

THE THREE TREMORS release their new video for ‘Bullets For The Damned‘ (premiered on Billboard in the US)

The CGI-heavy clip, which features the Tremors trading vocal licks on a desolate, post-apocalyptic landscape, where they also do battle with giant, scorpion-like alien creatures.

“It was all green screen stuff. I felt like Arnold Schwarzenegger for a second,” Owens tells Billboard. “It’s kind of a throwback, like the whole CD is — it comes straight at ya, a lot of stuff going on and really a power punch of everything. That’s what this (group) is — the video’s over the top, the music is over the top, everything.That’s something that’s been gone for a while, so we’re trying to bring it back.”

Credits for Bullets For The Damned: Music: David Garcia, Sean Peck, Casey Trask | Lyrics: Sean Peck

Buy The Three Tremors now

“Three times louder than a sonic boom, three fingers on the hand of doom!” is how The Three Tremors is being described. And when you find out the stellar line-up, there is no denying the mighty vocal power that the newly formed outfit possesses – Tim “Ripper” Owens (JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH, DIO DISCIPLES), Harry “The Tyrant” Conklin (JAG PANZER, SATAN’S HOST, TITAN FORCE), and Sean “The Hell Destroyer” Peck (CAGE, DENNER/SHERMANN, DEATH DEALER)

“Sean’s band, Cage, opened for Judas Priest on the ‘Jugulator’ tour in San Diego – that is where I first met him,” recalls Ripper. “He hit me up about resurrecting the idea and actually doing a record, and then a band, to put this out in the live setting also, and I thought it sounded really cool. The record came out really strong and I think the fans deserved to have a thing like this actually exist. We performed 2 of the songs live already when I was out in San Diego shooting the video for the first single, and it was a blast.”

“It was about 5 years ago, I was camping and thinking about the whole Three Tremors urban legend from long ago and what a shame it was that it never happened,” says Sean. “Then I started thinking about if there was a resurrected 2018 version of it, who would I get, and Tim and Harry were at the top of my list. I immediately reached out to Tim, who agreed to embark on this adventure and Harry quickly joined next. It took a long time to put it together, create the right songs, and get it properly arranged, but the results are beyond my wildest expectations. I think the fans are really going to freak out on what we have done with this record, and live it’s going to be almighty I assure you!”

  “Sean and I ended up at a party together in Germany, where we were both playing the same festival, and he told me about the Three Tremors album he was putting together and asked if I would be into it,” adds Harry. “He described the concept and how he wanted to bring this old idea to actual life and I said I was in. Once I started hearing the songs that were being sent over for me to record, I knew this thing was going to be really powerful. Then when I got sent the final mixes with all three of us on it, my jaw hit the floor on how well it all came together. For heavy metal fans, this is the ultimate.”

The Three Tremors nourish in heavy metal anthems, and feature the illustrious chops of guitarist Dave “Conan” Garcia, whose tenacity fuels the fire, allowing the music to naturally flow in complimentary tone. Second guitarist Casey “The Sentinel” Trask picks up the pace and really pushes the boundaries alongside bassist Alex Pickard, who highlights a melodic sensibility giving character to the overall tonality. On drums, the thrash machine Sean Elg adds in his perfectly placed fills and signature double bass patterns.

The Three Tremors self-titled debut highlights artwork ingeniously created by renowned artist Marc Sasso (Dio, Halford, Adrenaline Mob, Death Dealer, Cage), to showcase an apocalyptic battle between demonic hyper-wolves and the Three Tremors, who marched into an underworld overshadowed by evil forces only armed with bullets powered by heavy metal sorcery to reclaim the dystopian lands.

The self-titled debut album will feature 12 new songs that depict monumental stories of time honored heavy metal themes as written by Sean Peck, focusing on original concepts to highlight three of the most revered and relentless voices in heavy metal.

The Three Tremors will court you in to an entirely new atmosphere unlike any group before. Prepare for the most thrilling heavy metal record to date!

  Follow THE THREE TREMORS online

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram

NEWS: @TheThreeTremors Release Their New Video For 'Bullets For The Damned' @Judith_Fisher THE THREE TREMORS (featuring Tim 'Ripper' Owens, Sean Peck and Harry Conklin)  storming self titled debut album "

[pauladevin302]

Home Scorpion Remedies – Block Fencing – Phoenix / Scottsdale NaturZone Pest Control

Home Scorpion Remedies - Block Fencing - Phoenix / Scottsdale NaturZone Pest Control

video description: Scorpion control is a never-ending battle in the Phoenix area. Scorpions numbers can be reduced by treating their hiding places. Jeffrey takes a minute to talk about one of the worst of these hiding places, Block Fence Columns! If you have scorpion or other pest questions give us a call at 602-476-1088 or go to NatureZonePestControl.com for lots of info! You can also ask for FREE Consultation and a FREE 58 Point Pest Analysis of your home or Office! We do Bed Bug, Termite and general pest control in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Queen Creek, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale, Peoria, Ahwatukee, Avondale, Litchfield Park, Cave Creek, Fountain Hills, Mesa, Apache Junction, San Tan, Waddell, El Mirage, Carefree, Buckeye, Verrado, Tempe, Sun City, Sun Lakes, YoungTown Paradise Valley, Gold Canyon, Maricopa, Goodyear, Surprise and Anthem!

posted on: InfinitiTimePieces.com

[ricardosousalemos]

Weezer: Weezer (Blue Album)

Weezer mastermind Rivers Cuomo was such a somber kid that his second-grade teacher trained the other students to tell him, in unison, “Let me see the smile.” Childhood in Yogaville, the ashram and Integral Yoga HQ led by “Woodstock guru” Swami Satchidananda in eastern Connecticut, was isolating, devoid of much pop culture and adventure—until Cuomo heard Kiss. When a family friend brought their fifth album, 1976’s Rock and Roll Over, to the Cuomo house, it sent Rivers and younger brother Leaves launching off furniture in a way only formative music can. “I’ve pretty much based my life around that record,” he has said. With their comic-book personas and distorted riffs, Kiss cracked Cuomo’s young brain wide open and rewired it for good. He had little idea what debauchery they were singing of, but from that point on, Cuomo began having intense dreams about becoming a rock star, and he began obsessively studying the work of his songwriting heroes.

For Rivers, music offered both a coat of armor and an identity. As a pre-teen enrolled in public school for the first time, Cuomo went by a different first name and his stepfather’s last name (Kitts); his chosen moniker—Peter Kitts—was awfully close to that of Kiss drummer Peter Criss. And while Cuomo was still picked on as he made his way through puberty, he eventually found his people: the metalheads. In 1989, Cuomo moved from Connecticut with his high school band to Los Angeles, ground zero for the AquaNetted and Spandexed. There, he found himself in the midst of shifting tastes, both culturally and personally. He started working at the Sunset Boulevard Tower Records, where he was schooled on quintessentially “cool” music like the Velvet Underground, Pixies, and Sonic Youth.

Also in the mix at this time was a new band called Nirvana. When Cuomo first heard “Smells Like Teen Spirit” on the radio in late 1991 while washing dishes in an Italian restaurant, he was sorta pissed he didn’t write it himself. “Rivers says, ‘I should have written that,’” remembered early Weezer guitarist Jason Cropper in John D. Luerssen’s band biography, River’s Edge. “And I’m like, ‘Yeah. That’s totally true.’ Because the music he was writing was improving in quality every day.” Cuomo’s interest in Nirvana became an obsession. He’d taken notes from Brian Wilson, the Beatles, Scorpions, Yngwie Malmsteen, and, of course, Kiss. But for all his knowledge of rock history, he still cared deeply about writing anthems that spoke to his generation, even if he had trouble looking his peers in the eyes.

Weezer anthems were destined to be different. In 1994, the acts dominating the modern rock charts were pushing against something, from the British aesthetes (Depeche Mode, New Order, Morrissey) to the singular weirdos (Beck, Tori Amos, Red Hot Chili Peppers) to the disenfranchised youth (Nirvana, Green Day, Pearl Jam). With rebellion came a facade of cool, and that was something Weezer could never manage, at least not in the traditional way. Cuomo always tried a little too hard. He would become the fidgety anti-frontman with a thousand “revenge of the nerds” taglines and a Harvard degree to prove it. That dichotomy—the big-time rockstar in khakis and Buddy Holly glasses, who never seems totally comfortable in his own skin—is what launched his cult and anchored his unlikely sex appeal. And his band—drummer Patrick Wilson, bassist Matt Sharp, and guitarist Brian Bell—played along, accentuating their innate geekiness to make Weezer feel like a unified front. 

By the summer of 1993, Cuomo had written a number of songs strong enough to convince the alt-rock major DGC to sign Weezer (this despite a lack of buzz around the L.A. scene) and have the Cars’ frontman Ric Ocasek produce their first album. When the group’s self-titled debut—typically known as The Blue Album—arrived in May 1994, Cobain had been dead for a month. A feeling of dread hung over the alternative rock world whose prominence was ushered in by the Seattle sound. With their wired energy, effortless power-pop-punk hooks, and Beach Boys harmonies, Weezer took the alt-rock explosion in a new direction. You couldn’t quite tell if Cuomo was mocking his song’s regressive narrators or sympathizing with them. But once you got past his defense mechanisms and sorting through the humor and cultural references, you found a portrait of a young man’s psyche, riddled with angst and insecurity. And it arrived on the wings of massive riffs and gnarled guitar solos that sounded like they were emanating from a Flying V—on every single song. 

The Blue Album’s exploration of the fragile male ego is in full swing by the record’s second track, “No One Else.” Taken at face value, this is likely the most misogynistic song Weezer has ever released. “I want a girl who will laugh for no one else,” Cuomo sings while the band rushes through the fuzzy pop-punk changes, evoking the hyperbole of masculinity. But there’s more beneath the surface. “‘No One Else’ is about the jealous-obsessive asshole in me freaking out on my girlfriend," Cuomo has said. The song acquires even more resonance in the context of its sequencing on the record. Cuomo described the following song, “The World Has Turned and Left Me Here,” as “the same asshole wondering why she's gone.” In actuality, he spends most of “The World Has Turned and Left Me Here” muttering to his ex’s wallet photograph and masturbating to her memory, getting in a joke along the way, saying she enjoyed the sex “more than ever.” It’s an absurd scene, but imagine the sentiment coming from the wrong person and it’s suddenly not so funny. Weezer were masterful at walking this line between knowing jokiness and legitimately creepy dysfunction.

This base kind of arrested development shifts back and forth between the narrator’s relationship with girls and his views on himself. If “No One Else” and “The World Has Turned and Left Me Here” are mirror twins, so are “Surf Wax America” and “In the Garage.” Given that Weezer were named after a common term for asthma sufferers, no one expected them to be out on a board riding the waves. That tension animates “Surf Wax America,” a well-crafted jumble of harmonic puzzles and barreling punk guitars where the hedonistic surfer lifestyle is both celebrated and chided for its simplistic worldview. Even while the song sneers, the ferocity of Cuomo screaming “Let’s go!” juxtaposed with the solemnness of the band’s Wilsonian harmonies make you believe, once again, in Weezer’s sincerity. Meanwhile, “In the Garage” is an homage to that happy place where no one judges you for your comic books, D&D figurines, and Kiss posters. It seems like over-the-top self-parody, but the garage was indeed a real place where early Weezer practiced and recorded when Cuomo, Sharp, and original guitarist Justin Fisher lived together in the “Amherst House” near Santa Monica. The hopeless ambition of “In the Garage” would make it the defining song of nerd-rock.

In between “Surf Wax America,” a fantasy about someone completely different, and “In the Garage,” a hyper-detailed song about himself, lies a song about his father. There are two more nakedly emotional songs on Blue, which are set off further by Cuomo’s rare embrace of laid-back guitars. Atop a bluesy jangle, “Say It Ain’t So” details the moment when Cuomo’s deepest worries are realized: He sees a beer in the fridge and, remembering how his father drank before he walked out, he senses his stepfather is doing the same. He fears now that he, too, is destined for this fate. Pinkerton, Weezer’s sophomore album, is often described as the tortured confessional to end all tortured confessionals, essentially a diary of Cuomo’s notorious Asian fetish. But “Say It Ain’t So” is just as raw, and arguably has more that its listeners can use, throwing its arms wide open to anyone who’s known the trauma of dad issues. The music is constructed perfectly, building and building until what's left of Cuomo's vulnerability comes out as a bitterly frayed "yeah-yeah," all capped by a guitar solo worthy of the Scorpions.

The desire to write a perfect song can drive some songwriters mad, as their belief in music as a vehicle for emotional expression reconciles itself with the belief that pop is a puzzle that can be solved. On Blue, Cuomo found the ideal balance, as he rarely has since. He understood the rules so well that he also knew when to break them, from Sharp’s super silly new-wave keyboard in “Buddy Holly” to the mumbled dialogue that runs through “Undone” (the band and their friends chatting were a backup plan after DGC refused to clear dialog from an old sci-fi film, “Peanuts,” and more).

The fact that “Only In Dreams” is eight glorious minutes long is Blue’s greatest example of self-indulgence gone right. It confronts the two most perilous teen-boy anxieties—talking to a girl you really like and dancing in public. It’s fiery, gorgeous, well-played, and devastatingly sad. Sharp’s trudging bassline guides the way forward for the narrator, whose fear of stepping on his crush’s toenails is temporarily silenced by the band’s total calamity. Rock’n’roll teaches us that extreme volume can quiet the voices of doubt inside our heads and numb the pain of living inside our awkward bodies. In this sense, the climaxes on “Only in Dreams,” starting around the song’s midpoint, are rock’n’roll lessons of a lifetime. But it’s the big build at the 6:45 mark that plays like a beta male transfiguration. Having re-recorded Cropper’s guitar parts in one take after essentially firing him following Blue’s 1993 recording at Electric Lady, Cuomo ends up axe-battling himself until he’s soloing like the metal gods he grew up worshipping. Wilson’s drumming—an underrated and idiosyncratic force throughout Weezer’s discography—drives home the catharsis. His cymbals crash from every angle and his tricky rolls play like percussive triple axels. By the end of the song, you’re back to reality, exhausted but ready for a fight—even if it’s just against your own doubting voices.

For all the talk about Rivers Cuomo’s anemic masculinity, The Blue Album has a unifying thread of identity that supersedes gender. An essay on the Smiths pointed out that, “Asking people about their interest in the Smiths is another way of asking this question: ‘How did you survive your teenage years?’” The same could be said of Weezer’s debut. Blue quivers with isolation if you look past the pastiche, the deflective humor, and the guitar lines that make you sit up tall. The emotion Weezer tapped into is echoed in music sometimes considered distinctly millennial due to its high levels of anxiety, from Death Cab for Cutie and Carseat Headrest to Mitski’s Puberty 2 and even Drake at his most neurotic.

For as classic as the album is considered now, Blue didn’t make the 1994 Pazz & Jop year-end critics’ poll. Back then, Weezer were considered alt opportunists or even Pavement ripoffs—a comparison that seems silly now, looking at the distinct rock strains since indebted to Cuomo. But MTV and radio airplay for “Buddy Holly” and “Undone — The Sweater Song” made Weezer huge, and The Blue Album went double-platinum within 15 months of its release. Over the next three years, as Weezer 1.0 slowly imploded (bye-bye Matt Sharp, hello rotating door of bassists), the record would sell a million more and be well on its way to canonization. By 2003, Pitchfork named it one of the best records of the 1990s; two years later, Rolling Stone heralded it as the 299th greatest album ever. And so Blue now sits in a sweet spot of commercial accessibility and critical adoration, a combination that guarantees the album will make its way into the hands of a certain kind of bespectacled teenager for decades to come—the ones who really need it. Cuomo never wrote a song as indelible as “Seems Like Teen Spirit,” but he did reach generations of rock kids, proving that coolness is optional if you study hard enough.

[katsushika-division]

“You motherfuckers picked the wrong group! So Crossroads fuck with Scorpion Den again and I’ll burn that precious church of yours to the ground! Not even your so-called God will save you from me!”

Scorpion Battle Anthem (The Crossroads Diss)

Featuring Akari "Cinder" Himura of @katsushika-division

Bring The Beat!

[Scorpion Den:]

(1, 2, 3)

[Sumire:]

If it’s war you want then it’s war you’re gonna get

[Scorpion Den:]

(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

[Sumire:]

We’re gonna drag you down to hell

[Scorpion Den:]

(1, 2, 3)

[Sumire:]

Run back to your father, it’ll be your last farewell

You’ve made a terrible mistake

[Scorpion Den:]

Scorpion Den is gonna make you break!

[Sumire:]

Now what’s this that I see?

It’s dumb bitch Juu stepping up to me

Some people just don’t know when to quit

Oh well, it’ll be fun seeing you submit

[Yosuke:]

Chimaki, I’ve seen bacteria more scary than you

You’re nothing compared to what I’ve been through

Just another tiny drop of water in a sea of fools

Why don’t you go fuck yourself with your own tools

[Miyabi:]

Poor little kitty, Kahori’s grasping at straws

Let me show you what I can do with my own claws

Don’t make me laugh, this bitch thinks she’s a cat!

How pathetic, you’re really nothing more than a rat

[Akari:]

Ha! Well ain’t this fucking amusing?!

God’s little mistakes are definitely losing

Manobu will be nothing but ash when I’m though

And don’t think I’ll forget your little brother too

[Zoya:]

You already lost ever since this battle began

And yeah, I’m talking to you, old man

Ippei’s gone thinking that he’s a god

But he’s only a false prophet wearing a facade

[Janine:]

Tora, let me tell you something about love

Since it’s obvious you have a severe lack thereof

Your “love” lied to you, left you to misguide

It long since died

[Trickster:]

Watch who you’re talkin' to

Pint-size little shit

Think you can stop me?

You're till suckin’ on your brother’s tit!

[Sumire:]

You heard it here first

Be prepared to face our worst

The Crossroads will be condemned

And no God will save them

[Scorpion Den:]

24/7!

Crossroads, mess with us and you’re going to fucking lose!

24/7!

You’re nothing but toys to break and amuse!

[Sumire:]

The will of God?

[Scorpion Den:]

Pitiful! Pitiful!

[Sumire:]

Can’t beat our squad

[Scorpion Den:]

This fight is in our odds!

You can try to beat us down

But our rebellion will always be around!

24/7!

We’re the Scorpions, our string is deadly and we’re quick to strike!

24/7!

We’ll stick your Father’s head on a fucking pike!

[Sumire:]

We’re way past the point of a warning

The Church’s gonna be in some serious mourning

[Scorpion Den:]

Damn right!

We say ‘screw your rules!’

You can’t beat us

You’re just a dumb pack of mules!

(1, 2, 3)

[Sumire:]

If it’s war you want then it’s war you’re gonna get

[Scorpion Den:]

(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

[Sumire:]

We’re gonna drag you down to hell

[Scorpion Den:]

(1, 2, 3)

[Sumire:]

Run back to your father, it’ll be your last farewell

You’ve made a terrible mistake

[Scorpion Den:]

Scorpion Den is gonna make you break!

[Sumire:]

It's sad, Juu, watching your attempts at "revenge"

At this rate, your parents will never be avenged

How sweet it was, listening to their screams and cries

And I'll make sure you'll meet the same demise

[Yosuke:]

"Dr. Saw" is just an cheap knock off

Call yourself a real doctor? I can only scoff

You're nothing more than a freak with a blood fetish

And I'll be glad to make your life more hellish

[Miyabi:]

Like an insignificant ant I can crush with my heel

Why don't you be a good kitten, Nyan, and kneel

I'll give you a real reason to go mental

Bad girls get punished and I won't be gentle

[Akari:]

Did you come up with that with your pea size brain?

Shut the fuck up, "Am", and stay in your lane

“Die!"

Ain't no comparison, we all know it's true

That I got way more bigger balls than you

[Zoya:]

Hey "Scientist", don't you feel even a little bad?

A man your age living in a delusion is just sad

You preach on and on about reaching divinity

But I bet 20 bucks that you haven't lost your virginity

[Janine:]

Cassiopeia has the gall to talk about beauty

But all she does is come across as snooty

All she thinks is about her Father in her head

I wonder, do you spread your legs for him in bed?

[Trickster:]

Hey! Hey! It's the wannabe thug!

Can't take "I" seriously with his ugly mug

I'll feed you and your brother to the hounds

I wonder how "Kita Stew" will sound?

[Sumire:]

We'll show you how true pain feels

Maybe then you'll find out God isn't real

The Crossroads, listen to me loud and clear

Scorpion Den are the only demons you should fear

[Scorpion Den:]

24/7!

Crossroads, mess with us and you’re going to fucking lose!

24/7!

You’re nothing but toys to break and amuse!

[Sumire:]

The will of God?

[Scorpion Den:]

Pitiful! Pitiful!

[Sumire:]

Can’t beat our squad

[Scorpion Den:]

This fight is in our odds

You can try to beat us down

But our rebellion will always be around!

24/7!

We’re the Scorpions, our string is deadly and we’re quick to strike!

24/7!

We’ll stick your Father’s head on a pike!

[Sumire:]

We’re way past the point of a warning

The Church’s gonna be in some serious mourning

[Scorpion Den:]

Damn right!

We say ‘screw your rules!’

You can’t beat us

You’re just a dumb pack of mules!

(1, 2, 3)

[Sumire:]

If it’s war you want then it’s war you’re gonna get

[Scorpion Den:]

(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

[Sumire:]

We’re gonna drag you down to hell

[Scorpion Den:]

(1, 2, 3)

[Sumire:]

Run back to your father, it’ll be your last farewell

You’ve made a terrible mistake

[Scorpion Den:]

Scorpion Den is gonna make you break!

🖕